OSCA 442331

Dental Assistant

Overview

  • Employed persons

    26,600

  • Employment status

    37.1% Full time

    62.9% Part time

  • Median age

    31 years

  • Employment by sex

    97.5% Female

    2.5% Male

    Almost completely female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Dental Assistant Total employment
Employed persons 26,600 12,049,400
Median age 31 years 40 years
Full-time share 37.1% 64.2%
Part-time share 62.9% 35.8%
Female employment share 97.5% 48.5%
Male employment share 2.5% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.4% 2.2%
Main employing industry Health Care and Social Assistance Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Dental Assistants prepare patients for dental examination, and assist dental practitioners, Hygienists and Therapists in providing care and treatment.

What the occupation involves

  • Assists dental practitioners during dental procedures
  • Sterilises and prepares dental instruments and equipment
  • Takes and develops dental radiographs (X-rays)
  • Prepares dental materials such as cements, impression materials and restorative materials
  • Provides fluoride therapy by applying remineralising solutions and desensitising agents
  • Educates patients about maintaining good oral health, along with oral health care procedures
  • Maintains and updates patient records and treatment plans
  • Applies infection control procedures in the dental practice
  • Orders and maintains dental supplies and equipment

Common occupation titles

  • Dental Nurse

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 4
equivalent to a lower‑level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate II or III).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Community and Personal Service Workers (4)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Dental Assistant Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 96.3% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Financial and Insurance Services 0.6% Construction 8.9%
    Education and Training 0.5% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Manufacturing 0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Accommodation and Food Services <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Construction <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services <0.1% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      29.7%

    • Victoria

      24.6%

    • Queensland

      22.5%

    • South Australia

      7.6%

    • Tasmania

      2.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.8%

    Dental Assistant Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 7,900 29.7% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 6,600 24.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 6,000 22.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 2,000 7.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 2,900 10.9% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 600 2.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 160 0.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 470 1.8% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Dental Assistant

    Total employment

    Age group Dental Assistant Total employment
    15–24 years 27.9% 14.3%
    25–34 years 31.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 19.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 13.1% 20.4%
    55–64 years 7.7% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.2% 4.3%
    75 years and over <0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Dental Assistant Total employment
    Female 97.5% 48.5%
    Male 2.5% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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